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Replacing Displacement

The 2013 Ford Taurus is rated at 240 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque. It gets 32 mpg on the highway. Photo by Photo by Greg Migliore

After a day of squealing tires, mashing pedals and generally beating on a number of the latest cars Ford makes, one conclusion is evident: perhaps there is a replacement for displacement.

This determination was reached after driving three widely different vehicles—the Taurus, the Focus and the F-150--throughout the day at Ford's annual open house for the media. All three where EcoBoosted, meaning they replaced larger-capacity engines with smaller units enhanced by turbocharging and direct injection.

Ford admits that there have been early cynics, but that's changing as fuel economy continues to weigh heavily on the minds of consumers.

“We see some initial skepticism, but as soon as they take that test drive, they're convinced,” said Joe Bakaj, the company's global powertrain vice president.

Obviously he's a bit biased, but the results were telling during our various stints behind the wheels of the different vehicles.

We started off the day with a lengthy cruise through Detroit's western suburbs in the 2013 Taurus powered by a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder rated at 240 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque. We spent most of the 32.7-mile stint on a parkway, though there were periods of open throttle on the expressway. This was a stark comparison, as we recently had a V6 Taurus making 288 hp and 254 lb-ft of torque through our test fleet.

The four-banger feels fine. Really.

The Taurus is a big car, but after puttering around suburbia, it's hard to see a discrepancy in grunt. That's helped greatly by the torque, which is served up in maximum force at just 3,000 rpm from the turbo I4. That easily eclipses the V6, which had to spin to 4,000 rpm for less twist.

The EcoBoost Taurus is strong from launch and doesn't feel underpowered, which is significant considering the girth of this machine. Our tester came in at 4,015 pounds and stickered for nearly $41,000, essentially making it a near-luxury car. The last thing a buyer in this segment would want is a wheezing engine, even one that returns 32 mpg on the highway.

This European Ford Focus is equipped with a 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine with just three cylinders. Photo by Photo by Greg Migliore

Speaking of that, we also briefly tested a European-spec Focus with the EcoBoost 1.0-liter, three-cylinder engine making about 123 hp and 120 lb-ft of torque. If there was one car and one engine we expected to cough and choke, it's this one. Remember, the modern Focus is good-size car. But, using a manual transmission and driving in third gear to keep the revs up, it was fine. Driving around town would not seem to be a problem. There's ample juice, and enthusiasts might actually like the challenge of driving a slow car fast. Put this engine in a Fiesta, and that would be interesting.

We capped our day with a drag race in the F-150 outfitted with an EcoBoost V6. We easily beat a Chevrolet Silverado with its 315-hp V8, even though our reaction time was poor off the line. The fact the Ford truck was shod in Pirelli Scorpion tires probably didn't hurt, either.

This drive did nothing to sway us of the benefits of the turbo technology in the F-150. Because after living with one in real-life conditions during a short-term stint at One Autoweek Tower, we were already convinced that the truck measured up. Pushing out 365 hp at 5,000 rpm and a whopping 420 lb-ft of torque at just 2,500 rpm, this rig was a beast even laden with 1,000 pounds of weight in the bed. The drag race was farcical and fun, more than anything else. Not surprisingly, the Chevy seldom seemed to win at Ford's home test track.

EcoBoost has gone from a novelty to acceptance fairly quickly. What's interesting is how widespread it's become. Big trucks, small cars—it's a roll of the dice that seems to be paying off for Ford. We'll see how it works in the Mustang.